Direction to Health

It is amazing what people can do when they are healthy, mentally and physically. Hence, it is important to talk a bit about health here. Good Physical health stems from a good mental health as well as soul relaxation. I accidentally came across a good review of some of these relevant information made available over the internet in the following links: -

1. http://soulpower-kuasajiwa.blogspot.com (Dr Azhar Bin Hj Sarip)
2. www.teslatech.com/beck.htm (Dr Robert Deck)

Geographic Information

Earth is now visible to everybody literally. Try Google Earth. If even a specialist in the field of geographic information systems will amaze at how the tool works, consider a layman with basic or non-GIS background person.

Google Earth is the best entry level one should use in getting to expand one's knowledge in the field of geoinformation. Easy integration, 3D-module, mash-up capability, global audience, global knowledge, simplistic platform are amongst the important factors people use it. Not to mention, creating your own 3D building from digital photos, street-views, pin-point addressess and business, these are great marketing tools. Good for business, good for people. Everything is handy. Nowadays, handy = mobile devices fit in your palm. Who needs paper maps?

Geographical Information Systems aka GIS is a tool not for everybody unfortunately. Not many can imagine its real capability. GIS is more than a mere visualisation tool to display shortest route to your destination. Its power is only limited with data availability, one's imaginations and the computing power. Lost? Look at the pics below;

This graphic shows population density in East Asia
and Indian Ocean region. Impact is created by integrating
graph and location information.

The above graphic shows geoprocessed sample of a radius
coverage due to an explosion impact.

In fact, a recent study discovers that most of man-made features has a position tagged to it, for example where is the building, where is the manhole, where is the restaurant, what is the route, how to go there, etc.. etc...

GIS depends on location information, in a more advanced GPS era nowadays -- we would comfortably equates location with latitude and longitude coordinates easily attainable via your mobile phone embedded with GPS.

Robot Navigator?

It seems fully automatic vehicle does exist. Driverless I mean. Best example of such technology commercially available is the AUV, stands for Automated Underwater Vehicle. It has been widely used in the area of marine strategic defense, research as well as hydrocarbon exploration.

AUV in action

Utilising primarily the gyro and inertial guidance system this robot can be pre-programmed to carry-out underwater seabed and near-seabed research mission effortlessly, weather-independent. Weather-independent? Some of us would see very minor impact of this phrase, but to those who are doing marine reserches and works, weather plays a very critical factor in the success of their missions. Imagine a rough sea conditions with 20 feet wave height, would you think a standard resarch vessel would be able to carry-out any research tasks at all?

Previously towed sensors from mother vessels are now embedded and integrated as part of the AUV to capture seabed and near subseabed data which would eventually be used for us to understand the underwater terrain, detecting buried geological or man-made structures, existing man-made infrastrucutres such as telecommunication cables, and geohazards.

Although a bit more expensive due to the mobilisation and demobilisation costs, but its efficiency, reliability and resulted data quality clearly supersedes all expectations.


To be continued...

Direction Tools (2)

Tracking tools are common nowadays. Transportation companies with huge logistic networks needed this tracking tool in wanting to know which cargo is where, every minutes. Marine going vessels need tracking device in ensuring their location is known whenever there is emergency situation for example collision, piracy and capsize. This tool is also part and parcel of anti-theft procedure for vehicles. There is an up-rising trend now at times of high oil prices, that companies want to know whether their company vehicles have been used appropriately i.e. not being used for personal purposes. It is suffice to say that tracking tool has become necessary to monitor productivity of a company.

So, how does this tracking device works? First, you must have GPS receiver to detect GPS signal. Next you must have telecommunication signal to send the acquired GPS signal to control centre, which would then publish your location information onto a network, normally an internet site.

To be continued...

Where is the treasure?

Often regarded as a million dollar question, used to be difficult to resolve. Now no more with the advent of positioning technology, the GPS. Add that with a 3D map viewing technology like the Google Earth. Whereabout has become as easy as A B C.

Back to the old treasures, they are surrounded by stories of fearless Captains, magnificient ships and fantastic adventures. They sailed over seven seas, over uncharted territories - but how would they managed that without somebody who read the map? What map? They ventured to uncharted territories! Amongst these legendary tales, there was one onboard each vessel, each ship a man known as the Navigator...

A person so special, he is the right hand man for the Captain. He reads the star in the sky, he measures the depth of the ocean. With the star, he charted his position in universe with the help of precise time known at his time. With that position in universe, he triangulated the locations of land mass, the islands sighted from his ship. Bit by bit, as he progressed in time on his ship he managed to map one continent, and then another. Great sailors of the world, Vasco da Gama, Zheng He, Columbus... we're indebted to them for the knowledge of the new world, paving path for world-networking in the era before the aeroplanes and internet.

To be continued...

Direction Tools

Imagine you are in a forest... lost. What do you need then? 10 years ago, we might still need a map and a compass to find our way out. 5 years ago, we might say a GPS would help. 2 years ago, we might say a handphone with a built-in GPS would do marvels. Now, a simple handphone would do the job. Imagine that, but how?

Simply said, you'll be considered "a missing person" if your whereabouts is not known after 24 hours. Your phone number will be locked and location precisely scanned within a good accuracy with mobile telephone networks of base-stations. Especially true, with a known mobile type and serial number made available to mobile network providers. Ever heard of remote switch-on and switch-off?

To be continued...

Determining Your Direction

Most important thing in life is to know what to do with it. You start to think about it when you are still a school kid. I don't know about you guys, but I did. It was back in the good old days when I was in primary two - I was asked by my class teacher of my top-three ambitions. It was easy, so I thought and raised my hand high-up in the air. "I want to be, number one, a soldier; number two a policeman; and number three, an ambulance", there you go - a complete answer, top it up with a very big smile on my face. I ended up standing on my chair...